Many of us watched Larry the Cable Guy interview local citizens as they described the moonshine and car-racing part of Dawson County's heritage on his "Only in America" series on the History channel. Then as I perused the pages of our weekly newspapers, I was very much aware that, just as those early residents did what they had to do in order to make it through a great depression, so are today's residents getting things done in their own way. I want to salute a few, but there's no way to cover them all.

February 16, 2011|
By Helen Taylor
For the Dawson Community News
|LETTERS/COLUMNS

Last year the General Assembly passed the original FY 2011 budget totaling $17.8 billion. That budget directs all state spending from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 and reflects the effects of our unprecedented economic downturn at the time.

February 16, 2011|
By Amos Amerson
For the Dawson Community News
|LETTERS/COLUMNS

A number of high profile bills have been introduced this week that are aimed at responding to the needs of our state's citizens. Georgians, along with voters across the nation, have told their elected officials loud and clear that they want smaller government and less intrusion. Here at the state level, we're working to meet that request.

February 09, 2011|
By Steve Gooch
For the Dawson Community News
|LETTERS/COLUMNS

There are some organizations that would dearly love to work themselves out of existence - no longer needed. I am sure that the small group of nurses and interested residents who initiated No One Alone (then called NOA's Ark) would have been happy to think that its services would not be required 20 years later.

February 09, 2011|
By Helen Taylor
For the Dawson Community News
|LETTERS/COLUMNS

The committee process started in earnest last week. As Chairperson of the House Science and Technology Committee, I have scheduled meetings at 8 a.m. every Wednesday morning. These sessions can be watched live online or at some later time. They will be videotaped and archived for your review.

February 02, 2011|
By Amos Amerson
For the Dawson Community News
|LETTERS/COLUMNS

The election results at the national level in November underscored the fact that people do not want government encroaching upon their individual freedoms. One of the most personal aspects of a person's life is their decision regarding their health care needs. President Obama's health care legislation compromised fundamental constitutional rights of citizens as well increase the size of federal government. The U.S. House's vote to repeal Obamacare was a dramatic move to swing the pendulum back to common sense public policy in Washington.

Ms. Bette Holland's (Democratic Party Co-Chair) Letter to the Editor touts the wonders of Obamacare, while denigrating attempts to repeal it by people who were elected to do that very thing. As facts in Obamacare slowly ooze out, I shudder as I recall Nancy Pelosi's comment, "we have to pass the bill to know what's in the bill."

Now that I'm so old that people don't expect very much of me and compliment me on just being able to be out and about, I can admit something that many may already know: If you really don't have talents, just act as if you do.

February 02, 2011|
By Helen Taylor
For the Dawson Community News
|LETTERS/COLUMNS

Articles by Section - LETTERS/COLUMNS

During the third week of the Georgia General Assembly's 2015 legislative session, my colleagues and I passed one of the most important pieces of legislation of the year: The 2015 amended fiscal year budget (AFY 2015).

The third week of the 2015 legislative session saw a significant piece of legislation pass through the Georgia State Senate. I am proud to say that with unanimous consent, Senate Bill 1 passed the Senate and is now under consideration in the House.